(I bit off more than I could chew, metaphorically speaking, when I decided to create this page.  Though it’s only a one and not a spread, there’s a lot of real estate to fill with doodles.  Which is why this page will span 2 weeks.  With all of my other responsibilities I was unable to complete it.  With that in mind, make yours simpler if you would like or be an overachiever like me and go for ample details.  Next Monday, the 13th, you’ll see the page finished.  I hope)

Inspiration comes from many places.  Some of the time an idea just pops into my head, seemingly out of nowhere.  Or I may be browsing the net and see a journal page or something else that triggers an idea.

Today’s came about after I saw a journal page with a couple of meaningful words surrounded by doodles.  Lots of doodles that filled all of the negative space.  A simple idea that can be interpreted in any number of ways.  My choice for the words are “be brave”, which is where the page began…

There are two lines that divide the page in quarters and I centered the words around them.  For preliminary sketches like this, I prefer a hard lead pencil.  Sharpen one and it will make thin, faint lines if you use a light touch when sketching, plus it will erase pretty easily.

I used a black PITT Pen, the “F” – fine tip, to line the letters, then erased the pencil lines.

Unlike the majority of the doodles I draw, I decided I had to use some of the new colors of the PITT Superfine Pens.  They’ll be accent colors since I’m not abandoning black entirely of course.  (Not in this lifetime.  I adore the graphic look of black doodles.)

I penciled in a circle, then another smaller one inside – I use them as guidelines – and then added petals.  This pretty grey-blue color is named Indanthrene Blue.  When I want to make circles, I use a template.  I have them in three sizes and they make the kind of circles/flowers/mandalas I make much easier.  See the Giant Circles by clicking here.  The Regular Circles are here on the site, and the Small Circles can be seen here.

Progress, though I have a tendency to jump around before I finish one section…

There’s more color here, but you’ll have to look closely to see it.  Up in the section where the long section is you’ll see hash marks made with color.  I used Indanthrene Blue again, plus Phthalo Blue, Cobalt Green (that looks more like turquoise), and May Green.  You’ll see those four colors again as I decided to limit what I used to the cool ones.

More penciled circles as guidelines and I’m off and running creating something of a mandala.  That looks like a flower.

More details.  More use of the four cool colors of PITT Pens.  There are also more penciled circles now, too.  I’m kind of figuring out where this is going, which is good.  I had no idea when I started.

Now this is starting to come together!  The long wavy section under the word BRAVE is a continuation of the section above the word BE.  I’m liking this.

Filling in more of the background with my flower/pseudo mandalas.

And this is where I ended up as time ran out.  Stay tuned on Monday the 13th to see what comes next!